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Q*Bert
Q*Bert was an arcade game released in 1982 by Gottlieb and developed by Warren Davis, although the character design and original concept was made by Jeff Lee. Q*Bert was well known for the swearing noise made when a player failed, and the hard knocking noise made by a pinball component hitting against the machine. The game was also released in Japan by Konami. In 1989, Sony Pictures bought Columbia Pictures, who were the owners of Q*Bert at the time and so they got the rights to Q*Bert. Enemies 'Coily - '''A snake that chases after Q*Bert and starts as a purple ball. He can be tricked into jumping off the stage by using a teleporter disc, which removes all of the enemies on the screen. '''Ugg and Wrongway -' Two purple creatures that hop on the sides of the cubes. They fall off when they reach the top of the screen. '''Slick and Sam - '''Two green creatures that go down the screen and revert the colors of the cubes. They are more of an annoyance than an enemy, since touching them is not lethal to Q*Bert. '''Red balls - '''These just fall down the screen, and are lethal to touch. There are also green balls that fall down the screen, and if Q*Bert touches them all enemies on the screen are removed. development The game was originally called Snots and Boogers, but the title was changed before production began. The title was changed to @!#?@!, and some early units used this title. At a staff meeting, the name "Hubert" was suggested, and this name was merged with "Cube" to become "Cubert". Richard Tracy stylized the name into "Q-bert", which was then changed even further into an asterisk, creating the final title "Q*bert". ports. Parker Brothers made versions for the Atari 2600, Atari 5200, Atari 8-bit computers, ColecoVision, C64, Vic-20, Intellivision, the Texas Instruments 99/4A, PCs, and even a tabletop version. They also made a version for the Philips Videopac (the European title for the Odyssey²). Tsukada Original made a version for the Othello Multivision, which was only released in Japan. Ultra Games (a former subsidiary of Konami) made a version for the NES. updates and sequels. Mello Yello Presents Q*Bert This was a special version of the game, only available through sweepstakes. The cabinet was identical to the original arcade cabinet, except there was no coin door. The title screen in this version was different, and there was an additional cutscene where Q*Bert drinks a Mello Yello every 2 stages. 7-Eleven Presents Q*Bert This was another special version of the game. The title screen was different, and there was an additional cutscene where Q*Bert drinks a Big Gulp every 2 stages. Faster Harder More Challenging Q*Bert Faster Harder More Challenging Q*Bert was a more difficult version of Q*Bert made in 1983. Aside from the difficulty being increased, Q*Bert's girlfriend Q*Bertha was added and a bonus round was also added. This version never made it to arcades although the game was fully completed. In 1996 Warren Davis released the ROM into MAME with the filename "sqbert.zip". Q*Bert's Quest Gottlieb was mainly a pinball company, so they released this pinball machine based on Q*Bert in 1983. The game features audio from the original arcade game and two sets of flippers in an X formation. Less than 900 units were produced. Q*Bert's Qubes Q*Bert's Qubes was a puzzle game released in 1984 by Gottlieb. The goal of the game was to turn around cubes so that the colors matched. If a line of five cubes was made, those cubes would be eliminated. The enemies in this game are Rat-A-Tat-Tat, who was similar to Coily, the Shoobops, who were similar to Slick and Sam, and the Meltniks, similar to the red balls. The game was also released on Atari 2600 and ColecoVision by Parker Brothers. Q*Bert (MSX) In 1986, Konami (the same company that released the original arcade game in Japan) released a game called Q*Bert on the MSX in Japan and Europe. Despite being called Q*Bert, Q*Bert is not actually in the game. Instead, there is a dragon called Wrappy, and the gameplay is similar to Q*Bert's Qubes. Q*Bert for Game Boy In 1992, Jaleco released a game on the Game Boy called Q*Bert for Game Boy, developed by Realtime Associates. Despite the title, this is not a port of the original arcade game. Instead it's a unique game with 64 levels in different shapes. At the end of the game, the player gets to watch "Q*Bert The Movie", which is a 3-minute short film where Q*Bert goes to war with a palm tree. Q*Bert 3 Also in 1992, Realtime Associates developed the sequel to Q*Bert for Game Boy, titled Q*Bert 3 (Q*Bert's Qubes not included in the numbering) and released on the SNES. A new enemy is a frog which slowly jumps at Q*Bert, but Q*Bert cannot make him jump off the stage. There are also cannons in some stages which shoot at Q*Bert, and hats that jump in circles. The graphics are much more vibrant, with moving backgrounds and colorful tiles. The ground ranges from American flags, to keyboard keys that change their letters, to ice cubes and even rotting teeth. The game was published by VAP in Japan, and by NTVIC in North America. Q*Bert (1999) This sequel was released by Hasbro Interactive for Windows and Mac, PlayStation, Dreamcast, and Game Boy Color. The original game is playable, both in 2D and 3D, but the main focus of the game is the adventure mode where Q*Bert has to travel through four different dimensions to save his friends. Z!la is a magician who can spawn teleporters into existence. The Triples are similar to Sam and Slick. A!bol is a construction worker who can build new cubes or make them disappear. Q*Dina is the lady that Q*Bert has to save. Also, there are switches, which can turn the lights off (which slows enemies down), add and remove cubes, or turn around the board. There are now items, which Q*Bert can hold and activate with a button, and boss fights. There is even a head to head mode. The GBC version is similar to the original game, but Q*Dina is playable and the stages are different. The Triplets and A!bol are in this version, but they only give you extra lives. Suns can erase all enemies, and a shield item lets Q*Bert survive two hits. Q*Bert (Mobile) In 2003, Sony Pictures Digital Networks ported the original game to Java-based mobile phones. Q*Bert 2004 In 2004, Sony Pictures Digital Networks released a Flash game called Q*Bert 2004. The game includes the Arcade mode with original graphics, but there is also a new set of levels with new graphics across six different themes: Classic, Jungle, Castle, Ice, Pirates, and Space. Q*Bert 2005 In 2005, Sony Pictures Digital Networks released a Flash game called Q*Bert 2005, which is the sequel to Q*Bert 2004. It's similar to the previous game, but the different level sets are gone and the levels are different. There was also a Windows version sold online. In 2009, Encore Software published the game on a CD, but the title has been changed to just "Q*Bert". Q*Bert (iOS) In 2009, Sony Pictures Television released the iOS version of Q*Bert. It started out as just the original game, but levels were eventually added from Q*Bert 2004. This version was delisted in 2011. Q*Bert Rebooted In 2014, Sony Pictures Entertainment released Q*Bert Rebooted on PC, Macintosh, Linux, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Xbox One, iOS and Android as a digital-only title. The Rebooted mode features hexagonal pieces, allowing Q*Bert to move in six directions. There are also orange demons who are similar to the frog from Q*Bert 3, boxing gloves that punch Q*Bert off the screen, treasure chests that award points, and bonus rounds that unlock costumes for Q*Bert. Q*Bert (2019) In 2019, Sony Pictures Television released a new game, just called Q*Bert, for iOS and Android. It features new levels, unlockable outfits and characters, and an upgrading system. Links Q*Bert 2004 Q*Bert 2005Category:Arcade games Category:Action games Category:Q*Bert series